Clean eating – The ins, the outs; the do’s and the don’ts and the do’s

It is obvious from the get-go that clean eating is not a scientific term. What means clean eating for one person means something else for somebody else. In today’s environment, we have many individuals who are focused on eating clean foods. Yet, what it means to eat clean foods has to be determined on an individual basis.

Still, there are general rules that apply when it comes to eating clean foods. Here are some myths and facts when it comes to clean eating:

Can I lose weight eating only clean foods?
That depends on the following factor: How many calories are you eating? You can eat only clean foods but when you eat too many calories you will gain weight. Nevertheless, eating clean foods will provide nutrients that are beneficial on a cellular level. And if your cells aren’t starved for nutrients, you body will stop asking for more food.

Clean foods can provide nutrients that conventional, processed foods can’t?
Absolutely true; if your clean food is  unprocessed, whole and organic. When it comes to your metabolism, nothing will work without enzymes. Enzymes direct all the chemical reactions in your body, which are contribute to your daily energy and metabolic function. Those enzymes are found in raw, uncooked, unprocessed foods.

Are powders (protein, green or energy) clean foods?
There are many individuals who think they are eating clean foods. But is protein powder, green powder or energy powder clean food?
For protein powders, you need to take a look further and see where the whey is coming from. From what kind of milk was it produced? The same is true for protein powder made from eggs or brown rice. Are the hens free-range and fed with greens? Is the rice grown in a pesticide-free, organic environment? It gets really complicated, so be careful; powders are not necessarily a shortcut to eating cleaner.

Can eating clean foods keep me young?
That is a big topic. In short, yes. Clean fats, for example,  are  important in maintaining youth. If you are eating clean fats–ones that are not chemically altered, and come from natural sources, such as olive oil, sunflower oil, nuts, seeds, wild caught fish from uncontaminated lakes or ocean, then the fats from those foods can do their work. You need clean fats, essential fatty acids (Omega-3, Omega-6,), for your hormone production, to maintain your artery health as well as  to help you to reduce the chance of heart diseases and DNA damages. Fats that are chemically altered, such as margarine, does not provide this benefit but rather do the opposite.

To determine which foods are truly clean,  my advice is that it is best to think about foods that are grown and raised in your local environment. Also clean foods are preservative- and additive-free. In its natural state, a clean food has not been chemically altered or processed to make it last longer, look or smell better.

Taking your environment and your location into account is best way to begin to build your own list of clean foods are. Every region and environment offers its own set of clean foods that are highly beneficial for your body to stay energetic, trim and disease free for a long time.

Stay focused,

Stefan

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Stefan Aschan is a leading expert on lifestyle, health and fitness who has helped more than 30,000 people get fit through advice on nutrition, fitness and lifestyle changes. For your free “How to live 100 years in perfect health” report and the must read “updates and solution” newsletter on how to have 10 times more success, stay on top of your goals, and accomplish the change of body and appearance,” click this link.