You’ve probably heard of the term clean eating , but what exactly is it? What does that involve?
Eating clean could be said to be a style or way of life. It means focusing and concentrating on choosing and eating nutrient-rich foods in their natural state, rather than choosing and eating foods highly processed with chemicals and preservatives, which over time harm your health.
If your new mission is to have a healthy and balanced diet, we show you 6 things you should not do when you want to eat clean, so that you can comply with this way of eating.
What not to do when you want to eat clean
1. Stop reading product labels
When you go to the supermarket and buy a product without reading the label, you can make the mistake of purchasing a product that is not very beneficial to your health. Even skipping this important step could break your clean diet.
Chef Devin Alexander of the reality show “The Biggest Loser” says the idea of reading each label may sound tedious, but it is much needed. On the other hand, Alexander also recommends that you try to concentrate most of your diet, in foods that do not require labels. Likewise, it invites you not to buy foods that have long lists of ingredients. The shorter the ingredient list for a product, the better.
2. Eat processed foods
This is one of the first things you shouldn’t do, if you want to eat clean. Jared Koch, founder of Clean Plates says it is important to reduce the intake of processed foods laden s or chemicals. The consumption of processed foods brings numerous problems to your health, among which we can mention the following:
- Increase in your blood pressure.
- Increased chance of suffering from diabetes.
- Increase in body weight.
Therefore, it is necessary that you evaluate the product you are going to acquire well.
In order to identify processed foods , it is important that you read the nutritional component label of the product, so you will have an overview of how processed it is. If its processing is not so aggressive, you can incorporate it into your diet. On the other hand, it is recommended that you eliminate completely processed foods from your diet, since they are not healthy at all.
3. Consume alcoholic beverages
Some people who eat clean diets cut out alcohol entirely. However, there are others who take it in moderation.
If you like to drink some alcohol, we recommend that you choose a single glass of red wine. However, the ideal way to have a healthy diet is to consume water. Experts recommend drinking six to eight 325-milliliter glasses every day, or about two liters. But, if you are not a big fan of water, you can increase its consumption by eating foods rich in water , such as celery, tomato, orange and melon.
4. Eat any type of meat
Although many associate clean eating with a vegetarian diet , this is not entirely true. Meat can be part of your diet if it is enjoyed properly and responsibly.
To do this, Jared Koch, founder of Clean Plates, recommends that you choose to eat better quality meats. A good quality meat is one where the cattle have been fed and raised with grass and is free of hormones and antibiotics. Some define it as organic meat .
A study published in the Nutrition Journal in 2010 found that grass-fed beef had fewer saturated fatty acids and is richer in vitamin A, vitamin E, and cancer-fighting antioxidants.
5. Buy any type of whole grain cereal
Alexander recommends that you choose sprouted or whole grains over processed grains. Nevertheless. When shopping for whole grains, watch out for packaging that uses buzzwords like “multigrain” or “100 percent wheat,” as these are not necessarily whole foods.
In order to correctly identify whole grains , the United States Department of Agriculture recommends that you be aware of these five guidelines:
- It should say whole grains as the first ingredient.
- No added sugars should appear in the first three ingredients.
- The word “whole” must appear before any grain ingredient.
- There should be a carbohydrate-to-fiber ratio of less than 10: 1.
- There should be a stamp that says “whole grain”.
6. Ingest artificial sweeteners
Don’t consume artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose or aspartame. A study carried out in 2014 published in Nature found that the consumption of these sweeteners generates an abnormal metabolism and an increased risk of suffering from diabetes.
If you are adding sugar to your diet, do so with natural alternatives like honey, molasses, stevia, agave nectar, and maple syrup.
Reference
- Donatelli J, J. The DOs and DON’Ts of Clean Eating. For Livestrong [Revised January 2018]
