Understanding What Is Clean Eating
“Clean eating involves consumption of ‘natural and real foods’ which contain good quality protein, healthy fat and plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants”
Clean And Real Foods
It has become very challenging for people to include wholesome foods in their diet. Thus, there is a lot of buzz about eating ‘clean’ these days. But what does it actually mean and how is it beneficial for the body? Clean eating is a very simple concept which involves eating ‘natural and real foods’ which contain good quality protein, healthy fat and plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Real foods are defined as foods that are unrefined or minimally processed and are close to their natural form, as much as possible. Processing or refining food items leads to loss of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals and this makes food less healthy. Hence, it is very Important to know how to ‘eat clean,’ so here are some tips for you to follow.
Tips On How To ‘Eat Clean’
Consume Healthy Fat: Know Which Types To Choose
When people hear the word ‘fat and oils’ they think that this food group needs to be eliminated. Fat and oils do not have a great reputation in the nutrition world, but not all types of fat are bad. Trans fat and saturated fat are unhealthy sources of fat that raise blood cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart diseases. Thus, pay attention towards both quantity as well as quality of tat.
- To avoid saturated tat and trans tat, check the food labels before purchasing any food product
- Choose healthy cooking oil options such as olive oil, canola oil, groundnut oil and rice bran oil
- Replace red meat with lean meat and fish
- Replace hydrogenated fat with ghee
- Replace deep fried snack items such as vada, samosa, chaat, farsan with healthy options such as nuts, fruits and vegetables
- Baked food items such as putts, biscuits, cakes and pastries contain high amounts of fat. Therefore, their intake should be strictly limited
Include Plenty Of Fresh Fruits And Vegetables
Canned fruits and vegetables have a high amount of added sugar and salt which makes them less healthy. The high sodium content of canned foods makes it unsuitable for individuals with hypertension. heart diseases and kidney diseases. Whereas, high sugar content of canned fruits is a complete no for individuals with diabetes mellitus and those who want to lose weight. Choose fresh and whole fruits and vegetables over canned ones. Furthermore, fruit juice is not a healthy option, because juicing leads to loss of most of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and dietary fibre.
Choose Whole Grains Over Refined
Whole grains contain dietary fibre, antioxidants and other nutrients that are important for digestion and for providing satiety. Refined grains lose dietary fibre and other nutrients while processing and thus it does not make you feel full. Whole grains when consumed with good quality protein and healthy tat, In right quantity helps you In weight loss, lowers high blood pressure, blood glucose levels and triglyceride levels. Dietary fibre present in whole grain helps in getting rid of toxins and further helps in cleansing the system too.
Un-Sweeten Your Diet
Sugar is your biggest enemy and eating too much sugar can lead to obesity, poor immune system, inflammation and heart disease. Besides this, it can also make your skin look dull. Sugar- laden foods and beverages are high in calories but they are not at all filling. Thus, you may end up eating too much sugar and this can undermine your health. So here are some guilt-free options to satisfy your sweet tooth.
- Dark chocolate with minimum 70 per cent cocoa
- Fruit yoghurt or fruit smoothie
- Baked apple or pear with cinnamon powder and just a little honey
- Dried fruits such as dried apricots, dates and raisins
- Fresh fruits
- Parfait
- Honey coated nuts
- Energy bars where refined sugar can be replaced by dates or raisins
Watch Your Salt Intake
Eating too much sodium can cause your body to retain water and this puts additional stress on the heart and blood vessels. Salt, baking soda and mono-sodium glutamate (ajinomoto) are sodium-containing compounds are sodium-containing compounds that many people know. Besides these compounds, there are other hidden sources of sodium that also need to be restricted:
- Processed cheese and salted butter
- Pickles and papad
- Chutney, dips, sauces and ketchup
- Frozen foods
- Ready-to-eat packaged foods and soups
- Salted nuts and snacks
Stay Hydrated
Plain water is the best beverage available on this planet as water flushes out all the toxins from the body. Thus, staying hydrated is one of the best and easiest ways to stay healthy. Do not ever consider tea, coffee, juices and sodas as substitutes for plain water and drink at least two-three litres of water daily.