Clean eating is more of a lifestyle rather than a diet. Basically it’s focusing on more whole foods and avoiding processed foods and ingredients that cause inflammation. Many things we find at the grocery stores fall into the processed foods category nowadays. So sticking to organic foods and ones that have fewer ingredients are best. This even comes down to meat and seafood. Wild-caught and pasture raised/grass-fed (animals fed their natural diet) are better for us, the planet and the animals. Same with oils. Many oils have been overly processed and made with GMO ingredients that we consume so much of. And it wreaks havoc on our bodies. So in a nutshell, clean eating is getting back to real food.
A Few Tips for Transitioning to a Cleaner Food Lifestyle
- Begin removing processed foods from your home. For example, canola oil, conventional candy, conventional condiments, etc. Start replacing these items with clean items. Such as replacing canola oil with avocado oil (which is good for high temperature cooking as well).
- Transition with percentages. For example begin with 50% consumption of your regular foods and 50% consumption of clean foods. Then move to 40% regular foods to 60% clean foods, then 30%/70% and 20%/80%, whichever percent you aim to be at.
- Pay attention to how you feel when you eat certain foods. Our bodies are always trying to communicate things to us. We just forgot how to listen or have gotten so used to feeling crappy that we don’t remember what it’s like to feel good. Start avoiding the things that make you feel crappy. You deserve better!
- Doing these changes with a friend, sibling, partner, whoever can help motivate you and help when you face the challenges of change.
- Remember “No” can be empowering. What you put on your fork is a vote for who you want to be and how you want to feel.