23 Aug Clean Eating

Keep it Clean

By Lorna Gordon

Clean eating is getting quite a bit of attention at the moment. No it’s not about washing all your food before you eat it (although that is advisable for your fruit and veggies) so what is it and how do you get on the band wagon?

What is Clean Eating?

Clean eating is not a ‘diet’ as such, it’s more of a way of living. It focuses on keeping food in its most natural state with minimal processing and reducing salt and sugar. If you can stretch your budget organic foods are best but not essential to this movement.

What should you avoid?

You should stay away from processed and refined foods, in general think white bread, pasta and foods high in salt and sugar.  Check out the list of ingredients on tins or package foods, if you can’t pronounce the ingredients or there is a huge list, stay clear of the food.

Reduce your sugar intake by minimising cakes, sweets and lollies and make sure you check the food labels, you might be surprised what foods contain sugar.

Sodium (salt) eaten in excess can cause high blood pressure so reducing that is also recommended, like sugar check your food labels, the higher up the list it is the more there is in your item.

What should you eat?

So if you are cutting all the processed stuff out, what can you eat? Seasonal fruit and veggies are a great option, the fruit will satisfy a sweet tooth and the fibre from the veggies are great for your digestion and will keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Ditch the white bread and get into whole grains instead. Think quinoa, oats and brown rice and if you are reaching for the pasta make sure it’s whole grain.

Try some vegetarian meals and cut back on the meat. We don’t have to eat meat every day, you can easily get your protein from legumes, beans and eggs and there are loads of great meat free recipes out there.

How can you achieve this?

Because you aren’t cutting out food groups you aren’t denying yourself anything so it’s a bit more realistic than some of the other ways of eating out there.  As with any change in routine you do have to set yourself up to succeed.  First step is to do a meal plan before you go shopping, if necessary find some new recipes for inspiration and write a list of everything you need for the week, including snacks. If you are time poor stir fry’s are a quick and easy meal, or why not crack open the slow cooker and make a delicious casserole from scratch?

Once you have all the good stuff in your fridge and freezer you are less likely to fall off the wagon and after a week or so of eating like this you will feel so good you’ll want to continue to feel that way.

Do you eat clean, or do you fancy giving it a go? If you try it out why not post up some of your favourite recipes on our facebook page to share with the rest of the team!