Living the Clean Eating Lifestyle
One of the greatest ways to treat our body is not just going to the dermatologist, spa, buying tons of makeup, and the like. Yes, it can help, but nothing beats treating our body by adopting the clean eating diet lifestyle. If we do not take care of our bodies, it will affect our overall performance and all those pampering sessions won’t work effectively if you do not have that healthy glow only clean foods can give.
Eating a clean diet is very beneficial for our mind and body. Natural food does not only keep every part of our body system healthy, it also aids every system to function well, and that reflects on our physical appearance as well. To begin, eating a clean diet promotes natural weight loss since it will wash away bad cholesterol, and there is no need for you to starve yourself. It is one of the most effective and endurable ways to tame weight problems and treat various types of diseases.
So, what are you waiting for? Do not just clean the four corners of your house and your physical appearance; do not take for granted to clean the internal parts of your body as well!
Would you be surprise to know that no matter what type of diet lifestyle you follow, you cannot really reach your goals when you do not do it the clean eating way?
The concept of the clean eating diet lifestyle focuses on eating, all-natural, organic, whole foods. This type of diet does not stress you as a dieter to keep on counting the carbohydrates, calories, and bad fat. It solely focuses on the nutritional content.
Clean eating is all about preparing, cooking, and consuming foods and beverages that are closest to its original and most natural state possible. This diet only contains ingredients that have not undergone any processing, refining, and the like.
10 Commandments of Clean Eating
To get you started, we bring you the full proof guide on your way to cleaning up your diet lifestyle. Here are the 10 commandments to clean eating:
1. Omit Processed Foods
Dedicate yourself in the clean eating diet by omitting processed foods – the process of transforming food and ingredients by chemical and physical means. Here are some reasons why you should omit foods that underwent through any process:
Contains genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that can cause cancer
Contains only little to no nutritional content
Processed foods can be addicting they contain additives that trigger dopamine production which makes you crave more. With clean eating, our brain cells tell you when to stop but with processed foods, you always crave for more
2. Avoid Foods with Additives
There are a million reasons why you should avoid foods with additives; these are used to enhance the flavor and appearance of food. Here are the following food additives that you must avoid together with their health risks:
Hydrogenated fats – cardiovascular diseases, obesity
Artificial food colors – asthma, certain allergies, carcinogen
Nitrites/nitrates – develop nitrosamines which causes cancer
Sulfites – allergic and asthmatic effects
Sweeteners – obesity, diabetes, hypoglycemia, oral cavities, increased blood sugar and yeast
Monosodium glutamate (MSG) – behavioral and allergic effects such as headache, dizziness, chest pain, mood swing, and depression
Artificial flavor – allergic effects
Refined flour – low-nutrient calories, carbohydrate fluctuations, altering insulin production
Artificial fat – digestive disturbances and diarrhea
Food wax – this may contain pesticides and animal byproducts that can cause allergic effects
Plastic packaging – vacuumed sealed foods with additives may get the chemicals from the plastic packaging so avoid purchasing products packaged like this
3. Prevent Foods with Preservatives
Food preservative is a chemical substance that prolongs the shelf life of food. However, consuming too much food with preservatives can be harmful to the body. Here are the most harmful food preservatives to prevent:
Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydroxytoluene – have carcinogenic effects, negatively impacts sleep cycle and appetite, damages the liver, hair loss, and mental problems
Propyl gallate – carcinogenic effects
Sodium benzoate and benzoic acid – carcinogenic effects and may cause leukemia
Potassium bromate – carcinogenic effects
4. Eat Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are nutrient-dense, choose the ones that are organic produce. Eating fruits and veggies daily brings bountiful benefits to the body such as:
Reduce the risk of chronic diseases
Reduce the risk of autoimmune diseases
Fights off pathogens and various infections
Gives your hair, face, and skin a healthy glow
5. Go with Whole Grains
The cleanest of whole grains are the ones that look most like they are just-harvested-state. Don’t be deceive by whole grain claims on labels, to eat clean packed whole grains you have to take a look at the ingredients. The ingredients must be short and “whole grains” must be listed first.
Plus, clean eating dieters who consume whole grains more lose weight faster.
6. Eat Less Meat
Clean eating diet means eating less meat although it is not a requirement to this type of lifestyle. When you want to eat meat, purchase the ones that don’t have antibiotics, grass-fed meats, and wild-caught fishes. Furthermore, eating less meat it brings the following benefits:
Reduce bad cholesterol content
Prevents cardiovascular diseases
Maintains a healthy weight
7. Consume Healthy Fat Only
Healthy fats should not be minimized in the clean eating diet only the bad fat. With that being said, here are the healthy fats that you need without worries:
8. Limit Sugar Intake
In the clean eating lifestyle, you have to limit sugar intake such as candies, sodas, etc. Keep an eye to healthy foods that have been added with sugar such as yogurt, cereals, etc.
Look for food without added sugar on the ingredients list, if any, the sugar content must be at the bottom (meaning a small amount is only added).
9. Limit Sodium Intake
Limiting salt intake is ensued with avoiding processed foods. Clean eating minimizes salt by replacing it with natural herbs, spices, and citrus juices.
If you will use salt, clean eating recommends sea salt and Kosher salt; just dash in a scanty amount.
10. Eat 5-6 Small Meals a Day
This may sound like a lot, but when you are living the clean eating lifestyle, you have to eat 5-6 small meals per day.
To start, prepare three regular meals, snacks, and then divide lunch and dinner. Do not forget to partner it with clean eating beverages as seen later on this cookbook!
Poset with help of paleo diet.
