A good way to go easy on your body would be “Clean eating”.

The basis of clean eating is consuming whole, unprocessed foods. It may mean different things to different people. However, all followers of this approach agree that processed foods are not included. Eating clean revolves around maintaining a balanced and personalized diet of fresh, unprocessed food including fruits, vegetables, grains, some meats and fish, healthy fats, and some dairy.

So what’s the point of eating clean?

Many who follow this approach are seeking clearer skin, weight loss, increased energy, stronger hair and nails, improved mental health, and better sleep. Rather than simply going on different diets, these individuals are often making sustainable lifestyle shifts when they choose to eat clean.

THE PRINCIPLES OF EATING CLEAN

1. KEEP IT WHOLE
Stick to whole foods: foods that occur in nature and don’t go through a lab or other manufacturing unit. Examples include fresh fruits and vegetables, grass-fed and free-range meats, dairy, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

2. GET IN THE KITCHEN
When you cook for yourself, you’re most likely to up the nutritional value
of your food. Restaurant food is more processed, less fresh, and often over- seasoned. Keep it simple and then build your repertoire as you learn more.

3. ELIMINATE REFINED SUGAR AND CARBOHYDRATES
You want to remove white foods (like white sugar and white flour) from your diet if you’re aiming to eat clean. This includes all standard desserts containing white sugar as well as white pasta, white rice, bread.

4. MAINTAIN BLOOD SUGAR
Keeping your blood sugar stable greatly contributes to healthy food choices. When you wait too long between meals or eat processed foods that spike blood sugar – leading to a crash in energy – you’re more likely to reach for sugar, fat, or caffeine to keep your energy up. If you continue this cycle, you’ll always feel irritable and exhausted. If you ensure you eat whole foods every 3 – 4 hours, your blood sugar and mentality will remain stable.

 5. THE MAGIC COMBINATION OF PROTEIN, FAT, AND COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES
You should aim to get a serving from each group at every meal. This will create optimal blood sugar levels and stave off your cravings and brain fog. Some examples of great protein sources include grass-fed meat, fish, tempeh, and tofu. Top-notch fat options are avocado, olive oil, nuts, and seeds. When reaching for complex carbs, try quinoa, brown rice, or sweet potatoes.

6. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
 The clean eating approach emphasizes quality over quantity – not all calories are equal. When you stick to whole foods, you’re much more likely to keep your caloric intake at an appropriate level for your body and maintain a healthy weight as a result. It’s easy to eat your way through an entire bag of potato chips, but more than one or two apples would be laborious – see the difference?

7. NUTRITION OVER CRAVING
Whole foods actually fill you up and fuel you, whereas empty calories – like those found in candy and chips – fill a mental craving but don’t physically fill you up. Your mindset will improve when you switch over to whole foods since it’s hard to feel guilty after filling up on genuine nutrients. Whole foods also regulate cholesterol levels and ward off cancer, dementia, and a plethora of other conditions. In addition, the high fiber content of fruits, vegetables, and grains keeps the digestive system in tip-top shape, which is essential to optimal health.

8. FILL UP IN ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS
Eating whole foods ensures you get adequate amounts of essential nutrients and minerals like vitamin B12, magnesium, calcium, and more. Whole foods boast incredible nutrition profiles, and it’s best to eat a wide range of all the recommended foods to ensure any nutritional void is filled. Sure, you could pop vitamins in pill form all day, but nutrients are much more available to you – and more readily absorbed – when consumed through food

9. PRACTICE SELF CARE
The way you do one thing is the way you do everything. If you take care of yourself by feeding yourself beautiful food, you’re much more likely to engage in self- care such as exercise, meditation, baths, massages, and other techniques that make your life rich and vibrant. When you feel great, you’re able to move through your days with joy and ease, creating and nurturing supportive relationships and a career you love.

Eating cleaner is probably a principle that everyone could employ in some sense. How you define it personally is up to you as a bio-individual. So make “Clean eating” a way of life and find yourself feeling more energetic, balanced, nourished and free from deprivation!!!!

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Ashrafi Bhagat
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach
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