The Life of a Canadian Angel

Beauty & Lifestyle

  • Home
  • Beauty
    • Hair Care
    • Nail Care
    • Lip Care
    • Beauty Tips
    • Beauty Must Haves
  • Skincare
  • Reviews
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Wellness
    • Travel
    • Fashion
    • For The Home
    • Technology
    • Pets
    • Recipes
  • Featured
    • Sites To List Your Giveaways – Promote Your Contests Online For Free
    • Past Giveaways
  • Contact
    • Work With Me
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Meet Me!
Home » What Is Clean Eating? And How Does it Work?

What Is Clean Eating? And How Does it Work?

June 29, 2016 By Tasha 1 Comment

  • Facebook0
  • Twitter1
  • Google+0
  • Pinterest2
  • Reddit0
  • Buffer0
  • Total: 3
Red Apple wrapped in a tape measure - What is Clean Eating? And How Does it Work?
pixabay

You’ve probably heard about clean eating in the media, but what is it? And how does it work? Read on to find out and for tips on how you can integrate clean eating into your diet.


What is clean eating?

The basic premise of clean eating is that you cut out any processed or “dirty” food and eat natural, whole foods as much as possible. It’s important to know that clean eating is not just another weight-loss method or diet. It’s a happy, healthy lifestyle with no weighing, measuring or point counting.

Clean eating doesn’t involve meal replacement shakes, fasting or fat binding pills. In fact, when it comes to clean eating, fat is not the enemy. It’s much more of a sustainable lifestyle change for the long-term, rather than another quick fix.

baguette-bread-baked-goods-food
pixabay

What to cut out

We’re used to diets that ask us to remove certain food groups. Atkins says no carbs; slimming clubs ask us to exclude or limit high-fat items, Some diet plans, even require that we eat nothing but cabbage soup, but humans weren’t built that way. We are created to enjoy variety, and restrictive eating plans need a lot of willpower after the first couple of days.

Clean eating is different; there are no particular food groups excluded. It’s about how you prepare it. Food that is whole or unprocessed makes up most of the diet, and you are to limit and reduce processed foods. When it comes to clean eating, foods that should be limited include prepared meals, margarine, soda, chips, cookies and baked goods. Also, pastries and processed meats like ham, bacon, and sausages.

These foods are considered ‘dirty’ or processed to the point of having little nutritional value. They are likely high in fat, sugar or additives which your body struggles to process. For example, clean eating advocates real butter over margarine. Your body can successfully break down the amino acid chains in butter and put them to use. It cannot break down the complicated chain in margarine.

Also, “diet” foods should be avoided. While containing less overall calories, diet foods often have more processed ingredients to make up for the lack of fat or sugar. Your body struggles to recognize and digest these and so won’t feel full after eating them. These are sometimes called “trick” foods due to the way they trick your body into thinking it’s eaten but contain no real nutritional benefit.

Breakfast Bread Butter
pixabay

What to keep in

While clean eating does mean becoming more aware of what you are eating, don’t worry! There is still a vast range of nourishing and filling food that is available to you. You can enjoy – olive oil, nuts, fish, whole grains, dairy, legumes and beans, fresh and frozen veg, free-range and organic meat.

If you are going for frozen veg, make sure to check the packet for ingredients to make sure nothing was added in the freezing process. For dairy and meat, go for items not farmed with chemicals (organic) and allowed to roam the land (free-range).

While this is more expensive than other options, it is wise to remember that it’s only in modern-day society, that we enjoy meat every day. Think of meat as a treat to enjoy a few times a week. It will help you include beans, pulses and tastier vegetarian options in your diet.

Vegetables Tomatoes Pepper Paprika Garlic Onions - What is Clean Eating? And How Does it Work?
pixabay

Example Meals

Just because eating clean means cooking from scratch more often, it doesn’t mean that you need to chain yourself to the stove! You can prepare simple, delicious clean meals easily and quickly. Try Greek-style roast fish, kale, and apple soup with walnuts or BBQ squid salad, all available from BBC good food.com.

There are also countless cleaning eating cookbooks on the market now. Check out Hemsley and Hemsley, as a good starting point. Of course, you don’t have to keep it simple if you don’t want to. If you fancy getting more adventurous, then feel free to cook a clean dinner party or Sunday roast!


Why it works

After a lifetime of limitation diets, the idea of eating most foods might seem alien to you. Many people think of fat as the enemy, and to avoid it at all costs. However, research has shown that this is not the case. We now know that the body needs fat to function efficiently. Limiting consumption of fat can push the body into starvation mode. Encouraging it to store any fat consumed; making it even harder to maintain a healthy weight.

While we’re used to thinking of saturated fats as unhealthy, clean eating doesn’t restrict such fats. It requires us to shift our perspective to see processed fats and carbohydrates as bad or dirty. That is because processed fats cannot be broken down by the body in nutrients it can use, so gets stored.

Clean eating is particularly useful in dealing with fat, as it also encourages consumption of “healthy fats”, which can be found in nuts, oily fish, and avocados. The amino acids in these sorts of foods help break down and process saturated fats, which can have a positive effect on weight and cholesterol management.

A similar issue happens with processed carbs. Sugar-rich food travels into the bloodstream quickly, the body is then unable to use such an enormous amount of energy in one go, so stores it as fat. Also, because of the speed that processed sugars hit the bloodstream, they cause a spike or sugar rush.

While it can feel good temporarily, these carbs leave as fast as they came. Leaving you feeling sluggish and unwell. You end up reaching for another sugary item to get that feeling back. This results in a cycle of sugar added that’s hard to break and disastrous for your health.

Good for you, better for the planet

How our food is manufactured and processed is different from how the human body was designed. We mass-produce everything. The ingredients added, bulk out food to make it more appealing, which makes it cheaper for the manufacturer to make. It increases their profits, and at heart, our food system is a profit-making venture. That means that most items that are ready-made contain other processed ingredients as filler.

Therefore, it is much better to cook your food from scratch to see what goes into your meals and limit any processed ingredients. You will also find that many processed or dirty foods have significant amounts of refined sugar. Sugar in this form can be dangerously addictive, with lab rats responding to cocaine and sugar in the same way. By cutting sugar out of your diet, you will be doing yourself a huge favour. Have patience with the process as you may feel some withdrawal symptoms at the beginning.

There are also a few pioneering whole food companies out there that do produce cleaner products. These companies review both their farming and production processes from the ground up, to fit with a cleaner ethos. Check out their websites and social media for more information. A good start is to read the Hampton Creek details on their Facebook page or check out the Epicure website.

Treats

While you need to stay away from processed sugar when eating clean, don’t think that you have to cut out all treats – you don’t. Making your treats and snacks from scratch is an excellent way of sticking to the clean eating plan, but eating realistically. Clean eating replacements are the watchwords here. Use beans instead of flour, agave for sugar, avocado for margarine. Baking in this way provides delicious treats that are higher in fibre and nutrition and help cut out “dirty” foods.

How is clean eating different from all the other diets out there?

While clean eating is similar to the Paleo diet in the sense that it encourages the intake of vegetables and unprocessed meats. In clean eating, you can also include the two primary food groups of dairy and legumes, which provide much-needed fibre and protein. Clean eating is different from a carb-free diet because you can eat carbs!

Yes, you have to avoid processed carbs, but you can eat whole grains. Whole grains are products where the grain hasn’t been split during the process. Think quinoa, bulgur wheat, Freekeh, and Amaranth. The occasional use of wholemeal, where the grain has been divided into bread, flour is acceptable in clean eating but should not become a regular thing.

80-20 principle

It is always good to have a balanced approach to eating, and a good way of integrating clean eating into your life is to try the 80-20 principle. Eat clean for 80% of the time and be more chilled for the other 20%. It can be hard to eat clean all the time in our modern world, and this approach gives you the flexibility to have the occasional treat when you need it.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.

  • Facebook0
  • Twitter1
  • Google+0
  • Pinterest2
  • Reddit0
  • Buffer0
  • Total: 3

Filed Under: Food & Beverage, Health And Wellness

Hi, I'm Tasha, a Canadian Beauty, Lifestyle blogger, Influencer, full-time fur-baby mama and wifey to the most amazing man in the world. Positive thoughts and coffee fuel me. I also frequently laugh at my own jokes. Have a look through my posts where you'll find my best life advice, beauty tips, tricks and favourites on everything from skincare and cosmetics; to my favourite drugstore makeup. Whether you're looking for a new product review, beauty tip, or perhaps even a giveaway, I hope you enjoy your stay! ***** Follow on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Comments

  1. Véronique says

    August 27, 2016 at 7:15 am

    Thank-you Tasha, great post! My body tells me I need to eat better . Thanksfully, I have a garden so it helps 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

WELCOME!

Hi, I'm Tasha, a Canadian Beauty, Lifestyle blogger, Influencer, full-time fur-baby mama and wifey to the most amazing man in the world. I'm fueled by positive thoughts, coffee and frequently laughs at my own jokes. Please be sure to check out my posts where you'll find my best life advice, beauty tips, tricks and favourites on everything from top skincare and cosmetics to my favourite drugstore makeup. Whether you're looking for a new product review, beauty tip, or perhaps even a giveaway, I hope you enjoy reading! Learn more

SPONSORS

Advertise HereAdvertise Here

IT'S COOL TO BE KIND
And it's even cooler to stay connected! Join my newsletter for the latest news and more!
We respect your privacy

SHOP ONLINE & GET CASH BACK!

ebates-logo
Shop through Ebates and receive cash back on all your online purchases!
In Canada? Sign up at Ebates.ca
In the USA? Sign up at Ebates.com

PLACES I ❤️ TO SHOP

Addition Elle
Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Ebay
Forever 21
Old Navy
Penningtons
Warehouse One

Get paid to take surveys!

Leger Opinion - Canadians get paid to take surveys!

Canadians! Earn cash for completing surveys with the largest Canadian-owned market research and polling firm Leger Opinion, formerly known as Legerweb. I’ve personally earned over $480 since signing up! FREE to join! Sign up today!

Looking for Something?

Popular Posts

  • Sick Of Being Sick All The Time? 4 Tips To Improve Your Health
  • 5 Ways You Can Make Travel More Affordable
  • How to Remove Glitter Nail Polish Easily
  • Dermagist Acne Scars Fading System for Acne Prone Skin
  • My Favourite Beauty Uses For Vaseline
  • Are You Truly Happy In Life? Or Just Going Through The Motions?

Instagram

Instagram post 2195418706834606371_199604863 See, there’s a lesson in everything 🤣🤣🤣🙌 help us lawd

#Repost @mantramagazine
• • • • • •
Instagram post 2172927783381198091_199604863 Sometimes you need to clean emotional house, have hard conversations, overhaul your life, and when you get to the very end your life, make sure you don’t wish you had done things differently. ❤️
.
.
.
.
#selflove #selfcare #emotional #wellness #life #mantra #broken #emotionalquotes #mentalhealth #family #healing #deepquotes #loveyourself #changequotes #bestquotes #friends #regret #happy #noregrets #youdeservemore #nosecondchances #positivevibes #gratitude #emotionalhealing #happiness #consciousness #positiveenergy #quotes #brokenpromises
Instagram post 2133875937660612316_199604863 No one changes unless they want to. Not if you beg them. Not if you shame them. Not if you use reason, emotion, or tough love. There's only one thing that makes someone change: their own realization that they need to do it. And there's only one time it will happen: when they decide they're ready.
.
.
.
#motivation #quote #lifequote #change #selflove #quoteoftheday #dailyquotes #neversettle #trauma #knowyourworth #gratitude #loveyourself #lettinggo #relationships #healing #selfcare #wellness #enlightenment #empath #mentalhealth #spiritual #mindfullness #positivevibes #happiness #thoughtfulness #wordsofwisdom #wordstoliveby #personalgrowth #inspiration
Instagram post 2077152265365592726_199604863 From last nights thunderstorm just as another boomer rolls in right now — some of the most omnious clouds I have ever witnessed over Edmonton. What a wicked way to kick off my birthday weekend. Love me some good storms! ☺ Even got hubby out on a little storm chase... LOL! 😂😂😂
-
📷 by @canadianangelxo
-
#yeg #mothernature #abstorm #yegwx #yegsky #shelfcloud #lightning #rollcloud #arcuscloud #p30pro #omniousclouds #yeggers #wallcloud #stormhour #edmonton #supercell #albertaweather #thunderstorm #huawei #cloudformations #yegweather #huaweip30pro #yegphotography #instayeg #albertasky #canadadayweekend #huaweiphotography #shareyourweather
Instagram post 2069766377528253597_199604863 Out on a nature walk last night, I managed to capture some dissipating mammatus clouds. So freakin pretty! 🥰😍☁️🌥️
.
📷 @canadianangelxo
.
#yeg #abstorm #yegwx #mammatusclouds #sky #mammatus #clouds #alberta #skylovers #beautiful #ouryeg #wednesdayvibes #huawei #cloudformation #cloudporn #explorecanada #p30pro #goodmorning #travelalberta #cloudwatching #huaweiphotography #explorealberta #cloudlovers #breathtaking #shareyourweather #p30prophotography #huaweiphotography #globaledmonton #landscapephotography #mycanada
Instagram post 2040470461653098696_199604863 When you’re done, you’re done. 💥 We are referring to toxic, destructive and negative communication and when you finally decide to disengage. You don’t even need to keep the back-and-forth going. Especially the kind that goes on forever and gets you nowhere.

Silence speaks volumes, and silence cuts deeply. In order to find peace, you must realize that sometimes in life no closure, is in fact closure. You must come to terms with the pain and its value and role in your life. Not everyone will live up to your expectations. And that's okay. Don’t ever let the actions of others stop you from living with your heart. Continue to live, continue to love, continue to grow. 😘❤️💯
• • • • • •
#Repost @mantramagazine @iamdaliasmith

#motivation #quote #lifequote #selfworth #selflove #quoteoftheday #dailyquotes #neversettle #trauma #knowyourworth #gratitude #loveyourself #lettinggo #relationships #healing #selfcare #wellness #enlightenment #empath #mentalhealth #spiritual #mindfullness #positivevibes #happiness #thoughtfulness #wordsofwisdom #wordstoliveby #personalgrowth #inspiration
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time.

PARTNERS

Linqia
BzzAgent

Blog Meets Brand

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
© Copyright 2019 · The Life of a Canadian Angel • All rights reserved • Hosting by Hostwinds
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more