What is meant by clean eating?

Off late, this term clean eating is being used pretty often. Well, you may have heard of this term quite many times, but do you know what it exactly means? If you don't, this article should help you understand.

First of all, to your relief, clean eating doesn't require you to adhere to any special diet. Clean eating is basically a process where to nourish your body, you use the whole foods. So, clean eating calls for avoiding any food that comes with a label or is processed. Some of the examples of clean food are: whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean meats and grass fed meats.

Now, a few points to remember:

When you buy fruits or veggies, your best bet possibly will be the local markets. Whenever something falls on the ground or grows on soil - that is a clean food and the local markets usually contain these fresh produces with minimal environmental impact. That being said, if you don't have a local market nearby your house, there is nothing to worry. Even the supermarkets contain fresh produces these days; however, buying the organic foods should be better for your health, if bought from there.

When it comes to grains, whole grains work the best. Try to go for whole-cut oats, rye breads or quinoa. You should try to avoid white bread or pasta.

Finally, let's discuss the meats. Unless you are a vegetarian or vegan, there is no reason for you to avoid eating meats. Remember that meats are great source of protein and they keep you full for longer period of time. The grass-fed or organic ones are your best choices while trying to buy poultry or red meat. If you are a fan of fish, try to buy wild-caught salmon or trout.

Be prepared: Always be prepared when you try to incorporate a new food habit into your life. Try to prepare for the upcoming week right on a Sunday afternoon - portion your snacks and put them into containers, chop off the veggies that you may need to prepare meal for remainder of the week or cook food itself to put in the freezer - you can do as much as you would like to.

Take Things Slow: Well, if you are a processed food junkie, sometimes, it may get difficult to leave the same altogether. In such situations, try to take things slow. Maybe, include one clean food item to your daily menu and see how it goes. With some time, introduce more clean foods and eventually, switch to it entirely. Remember, the first 30 days are the hardest when you are try to create a new habit for yourself. But when you get the habit eventually, there is no stopping you.

Clean your kitchen: Well, not literally cleaning your kitchen is meant here. Rather, try to get rid of all the processed foods that you have stored in your kitchen or freeze.

Give treats to yourself: Everyone deserves a treat when things are done right - so do you. If you are a fan of chocolate, have one after successfully switching and sticking to clean foods for a given number of days. The only thing is to replace the sugar-filled guilty pleasures with some deserts that are healthy, however, don't compromise on the taste front.

Clean eating is not that tough to incorporate into your daily life. It just needs a bit of patience, strong mind and desire to eat healthy. Once you make clean eating your habit, there will be no going back to the days of processed foods.