What is Clean Eating ? How to begin Eating Clean ?

Clean eating is all about opting for healthy, whole, unprocessed food. It means removing from your plate refined grains, additives, preservatives, unhealthy fats and large amounts of added sugar and salt. Clean eating is the best and simple option available to lose weight and boost overall health. Clean eating is not a fad diet, but a way of life, based on the foods you choose and way you dish it out.

Clean eating do not restrict anyone on food intake, and one can enjoy  full range of foods from low carb to high carb food. Clean eating is all about eating “real” or “naturally grown” foods. 

How to go about with ‘Clean eating ‘

Opt for home cooked food

Indians have been particular about home cooked food. But in last ten years or so, we have seen a great change in our eating habit. Because of working hours and with more women joining the work force, outside food and ready to cook food found their way into our kitchen. Let’s shunt them out. Let’s go back to making our own roti, dal and vegetable curry.

Start reading the Nutrition Labels

Very rarely we read this label. Many of us consider this label as irrelevant, but this label speaks a lot about what’s inside the packaging. To start with look for labels with relatively few ingredients. Next you check whether these ingredients are welcome in your kitchen otherwise. Pay attention to and avoid foods with labels that include words like, “hydrolyzed,” “processed,”, “refined” etc as those indicate content is no longer natural.

Include more Fruits and Veggies

There is no doubt on the fact that fruits and vegetables are loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help fight inflammation, energizes cells and help us stay healthy. To start with include fruits for breakfast, pack some salads for lunch and whip up a new salad recipe for dinner from across globe palette. This will not make eating fruits and veggies boring. If you can opt for organic ones, better it is, as it will help to keep harm from herbicides at bay. Also they require little preparation.

Your favorite drink must be hereafter water

Say a big no to tetrapack juices and soft drinks. Carry your water bottle with you and go on drinking as much as you wish. Water will help one to stay healthy and energized. It will also help in keeping weight under check.  Also its preferable to use steel or glass bottles as PET bottles are not safe.

Avoid packaged healthy snack bars

Say no to healthy snack bars like granola bars. Instead opt for nuts and fruits. Similar to candy or cakes, many of the bars contain high fructose corn syrup. It also might contain hydrogenated oils, which can raise cholesterol levels and monosodium glutamate, which has been linked to stomach problems, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Now how to start with ‘Clean Eating’

Set small milestones. If you love fried and salty food, do not shift to salads on the first day itself. Instead replace first, one time snack intake with salad. Don’t go straight from drinking five tetrapack juice to only drinking water.  You for sure will fail.  Instead opt for gradual transition.