Some of us don't even know what that means, to sum it up: Clean eating means choosing real food. We know what healthy food looks like (or at least have some idea), so why is it challenging to eat healthy on a regular basis? Between a busy career, school, a significant other and kids—life happens, and suddenly our good intention to be healthier falls to the wayside. "Eating clean" is not a diet. Most of us don't have to diet to lose our body fat and actually dieting doesn't usually help lose fat.
Eating clean means to buy food as close to the natural state as possible. Buy your meat fresh from a butcher and not packaged or frozen. When you buy fish, buy fresh seafood. Buying produce the same way, don't buy produce that's packaged. The natural state of food is the way it comes right off the tree or plant or the way fish comes straight from the boat. The idea is the more human do to your food the less nutrition it will have and in general, the more you pay.
Eating clean means to buy food as close to the natural state as possible. Buy your meat fresh from a butcher and not packaged or frozen. When you buy fish, buy fresh seafood. Buying produce the same way, don't buy produce that's packaged. The natural state of food is the way it comes right off the tree or plant or the way fish comes straight from the boat. The idea is the more human do to your food the less nutrition it will have and in general, the more you pay.
Deep down we still want to develop sustainable, clean eating habits because we know our diet, or the culmination of foods we consistently choose over time, impacts the duration and quality of our life. The leading causes of death—heart disease, cancer and stroke—in the U.S. are nutritionally related, and the rest of the developed world is not lagging far behind. Our health, weight, energy level, mood and even sleep are influenced by diet.
When it comes to food, nutrition and which diet really works best, there’s not much that all of us agree on. And with good reason! Nutrition is not one-size-fits-all, largely because our bodies all function a little bit differently. While a lower-carbohydrate diet may work exceptionally well for one individual trying to lose weight, it may not work for the next. On the other end of the spectrum, carb-loading may help one athlete more than others.
But when it comes to achieving good health, and yes, even weight loss, there’s one common ingredient among all diets that have stood the test of time (such as lower-carbohydrate, vegetarian, vegan, Mediterranean and the newer Paleo diets). They all borrow on some or all of these clean eating strategies:
- Eat minimally processed foods, or foods made from minimally processed ingredients.
- Eat mostly plants and plant-based foods.
- Eat animals and animal products that eat mostly plants.
No standard definition for “healthy” food actually exists, just like there’s no cookie-cutter definition for what it means to be healthy, but it shouldn’t stop us from defining what that means to us. “Real food” has no official definition but embodies what a general healthy eating pattern could look like without using airy terms like “balanced,” “honest” and “genuine” to describe it (because who really knows what they mean?).
Real food is simple.
It hasn’t gone through a ton of processing to get from the ground to your plate. Here’s what that looks like: fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, seafood, nuts, seeds, whole grains and beans are all real food. Natural sweeteners, coffee, chocolate and wine count, too—just enjoy them in moderation!
Real food is not processed food.
Another way to think of it is this: Real food is not processed food. According to Dr. Robert Lustig, MD, founder of the Institute for Responsible Nutrition, processed food meets these seven criteria:
Remember some of the simplest foods are processed like Peanut Butter.
- mass-produced
- consistent batch to batch
- consistent country to country
- specialized ingredients from specialized companies
- nearly all macronutrients are pre frozen (which means that the fiber is usually removed)
- emulsified (fat and water don’t separate)
- long shelf or freezer life
At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Wait a minute, processed foods don’t sound so bad!” True; processed foods can be one of the safest foods on the planet in terms of germs, and that’s great for the short-term. Eating processed foods now and then won’t kill you, but you should really focus on eating mostly real foods if you’re concerned about your long-term health.
Eat “healthier” without thinking about it. It’s useful to think of food as nutrients (macro- and micronutrients) so we can better understand our body. When it comes to healthy eating, it’s more useful to think of food simply as food. Choosing “real” foods lets you eat healthier from a nutrient perspective without thinking too much about nutrients.
Get the most nutrients out of the foods you’re eating. Processing foods usually removes or destroys valuable nutrients. The two exceptions are fortified foods (think: orange juice with added vitamin D) and preserved foods (think: canned and frozen). Choosing mostly real foods helps you maximize the nutrients you get from the foods you eat.
Live a longer, healthier life. “You are what you eat” is a simple mantra capturing the impact that diet quality has on your quality of life. Eating mostly real foods will decrease your chances of getting a debilitating chronic disease like heart disease, stroke, diabetes or cancer. After all, the goal of being physically healthy is to live a long life whilst avoiding these pitfalls.
Home-cooking is at the heart of healthy eating, especially if it involves real food. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Save and organize your favorite recipes. Gather recipes from your favorite cookbooks, food bloggers or the internet at large. Rotate through the recipes as you plan your weekly or monthly meal calendar. If you’re not the planning type, having these recipes on hand will help inspire your cooking adventures.
Choose recipes that use healthy cooking techniques. Delicious food doesn’t have to be complicated; if you’re a beginner cook, choose recipes with 10 ingredients or less. To make your home-cooking even healthier, be mindful about how much sugar, sodium and cooking oil you’re adding to your foods. Here’s a list of common additions you should use mindfully to keep your home-cooked meal healthy:
| ADDED SUGAR | ADDED SODIUM | ADDED FAT |
|---|---|---|
| - Granulated sugar - Brown sugar -Honey - Maple syrup - Agave syrup | - Salt - Baking powder - Baking soda - Condiments (hot sauce, mustard, barbecue sauce) | - Canola oil - Olive oil - Vegetable oil - Peanut oil |
Keep honing your cooking skills! No one is born an amazing cook, so if you fail at your cooking ploys, remember to learn from them. If you’re a beginner, do a web search to learn more on how to plan and prep your meals: meal planning, meal prep
Stocking up on real foods is a good first step, especially if you plan to eat more of it. Check out these pointers to help you shop real at the grocery store:
Skim the perimeter of the grocery store. It’s where real food lives. We suggest you prioritize the following aisles: fresh produce, whole grains and breads, milk and dairy, meat and seafood. After you’ve loaded your cart, you can proceed to the center aisle for other necessities, just be sure to keep your eye on ingredient lists. Less is more!
Go to the store with a grocery list. Grocery-shopping with a list is your plan for success, because you’ll know exactly what to grab and be less inclined to buy processed convenience food. Ideally, your list should reflect the recipes you intend to prep for the week.
Pick up some handy, real food snacks that require minimal prepping and no recipes. Here are some ideas for you:
| NO PREP SNACKS | MINIMAL PREP SNACKS |
|---|---|
| - Fresh fruit - Unsweetened dried fruit - Roasted nuts - Dark chocolate - Trail mix - Popcorn - Mozzarella sticks - Baby carrots - Cherry tomatoes - Whole-grain crackers - Yogurt | - Celery sticks - Bell pepper sticks - Hard-boiled eggs |
Think outside the grocery store! If you live near a local farmer’s market, go check it out! Farmer’s markets are a good place for you to buy and support local produce, sometimes at a fraction of what you’d pay in a brand-name grocery store.
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