Posted Nov 7, 2011
There’s nothing extreme about eating clean. You don’t have to give up meat, invest in a fancy juicer, or banish the sugar bowl from the kitchen table.
“I define clean eating as consuming whole, natural foods that have not been processed,” says Diane Welland, RD, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Clean. “It’s more of a lifestyle or an approach to food instead of a diet,” she adds, explaining that regular physical activity and eating small, frequent meals that are balanced with protein, fat, and carbohydrates are typically part of the approach.
A sense of social awareness is also essential to clean eating, says Susan Kleiner, PhD, RD, owner of High Performance Nutrition, a Seattle area consulting firm, and author of “The Good Mood Diet.” Kleiner defines clean eating as eating foods closer to the ground – more like the way they are picked, and as you might find them at a local farmers’ market. “Be mindful of how you’re eating and how what you eat affects the world around you,” she says.
Here, these experts explain nine guidelines of clean eating and suggest strategies for making healthy foods your go-to choice.
Lose Weight Naturally, But Don’t Obsess
There are countless benefits to eating more whole, natural foods: increased energy, improved immunity, lower risk of disease, and yes, loss of a few pounds.
“Weight loss comes naturally when you cut out junk food and high-calorie processed foods,” says Welland. “For this reason, you don’t have to worry so much about cutting calories.”
If you’re eating fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing foods high in fat or sugar (which are also high in calories), and having small meals throughout the day, you’ll be more likely to lose weight. Focus on looking and feeling better instead of obsessing over the scale.
Eating foods that are higher in fiber and richer in nutrients and healthy fats contribute to feeling fuller longer, says Kleiner. Plus, sugar and fats have a tendency to make you feel sluggish, so limiting them can make your body function better, which means you’ll feel more energized and be more likely to exercise, she adds.
Stick with Whole Grains (and Learn to Recognize Them)
Eating more whole grains has been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers, and also helps you maintain a healthy weight. To get the most out of your grains, pick quinoa, bulgur, brown rice, or millet over refined grains, like white rice, white bread and grits, says Welland.
When shopping for cereal, bread and pasta, don’t just look for the words “whole grain” on a food’s packaging. Read ingredient lists carefully, looking for the word “whole” in front of each type of flour. Another trick for picking out clean-diet offenders: “High fructose corn syrup is a flag,” says Kleiner. “The fact that it’s added means the food is highly processed.”
A processed food is one that has been taken apart and put back together in order to create properties that may not occur naturally, or those that have to be replaced, says Kleiner, explaining that chemicals – some not found in nature – are often used in the process.
Grains are a good example. Like the name implies, whole grains contain an entire grain kernel (bran, germ and endosperm), while refined grains have been milled, a process that strips out bran and germ, along with fiber, iron and B vitamins. This process gives the grains a finer texture and a longer shelf life (think soft, fluffy white bread that lasts for weeks in the fridge). Refined grains are typically enriched, meaning iron and B vitamins, such as thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid and niacin, are removed and then added back after milling, but fiber is left out.
Keep in mind that many foods have to be processed in some way in order to make them edible, so the idea is to pick the least processed variety, says Kleiner. Cereal oats are a good example. While we can’t eat them unprocessed, we can select steel-cut oatmeal over oat flakes, or oat flakes over oat-based cereal with added coloring, flavoring and fun-shaped marshmallows.
Steer Clear of Sneaky Food Additives
When food additives and preservatives are considered, you probably think of a chemical compound spelled with no fewer than 16 characters – and one that you wouldn’t dare try to pronounce. But other extras sound much more benign – sugar and salt, for example, which are often added to food in excess to boost flavor or extend shelf life. The key to finding the “cleanest” possible foods is asking yourself a few questions: Are the ingredients natural or artificial? Are all the ingredients really necessary? Can I buy this product minus the offending ingredient, and will that absence affect the integrity of the food?
Take salt, for example. It’s used as a preservative in cheese, and is essential to the cheese-making process, says Welland. Adding salt to canned vegetables, on the other hand, is unnecessary, as it isn’t part of the production process and the veggies can be purchased either fresh or frozen without salt.
Another example is yogurt. Yogurt is produced by culturing milk, but fruit-flavored yogurt also have other things added to it including sugar, says Welland. Consider how easily fresh fruit can be stirred into plain yogurt for a lower sugar (and calorie) option, she says.
And what about the chemical-sounding additives? Only a few are natural and safe to consume regularly, says Kleiner. Citric acid (vitamin C, a natural antioxidant), vitamin E (an antioxidant that appears as tocopherols on food labels), and carotene (used to boost color) are commonly used as preservatives.
“Most everything else is chemistry,” she says.
Natural Sugar is Still Sugar
With excess sugar consumption linked to cancer, diabetes and heart disease, numerous white sugar alternatives have made their way onto grocery store shelves. Maple sugar, agave nectar and evaporated cane sugars, like secant, have stronger flavors than white sugar, which means you can get the same sweetness with fewer calories. Less-refined varieties of sugar come with a higher price tag, which Kleiner sees as something positive.
“When sugar is more expensive, you don’t treat it as nonchalantly. You think twice about using it and stop taking it for granted.”
Still, sugar is sugar, no matter what its form, and moderation is key.
A bonus that comes with cutting back on added sugar: “When you start taking out a lot of sugar and salt, you are retraining your taste buds and you tend to appreciate the natural sweet tastes of foods like beets and peas, or maybe the earthiness of a mushroom,” Kleiner says.
There Are No Safe Levels of Trans Fat
When it comes to fat, the hydrogenated oils typically found in empty calorie foods like doughnuts, candy, and cookies are the biggest offenders in a clean diet. Highly engineered fats, like the trans fat in man-made oils, are worse at promoting heart disease than natural fats, like lard, says Kleiner. According to Kleiner, a food label reading zero grams of trans fat – which is allowed for any item that contains less than half a gram per serving – can be misleading.
Kleiner’s general rule: “If it has hydrogenated oil in it, don’t buy it. It’s also a sign that it’s a highly processed food. Go for something less processed.”
Vegetarianism Is Optional
“Clean eating doesn’t mean vegetarian. It means choosing meat from grass- or vegetarian-fed (grass and grain-fed) animals,” says Kleiner. Animal feed can be filled with antibiotics, hormones, fertilizers and chemicals. Instead, turn to pasture-fed or free-range animals, which have more nutritiously rich meat and a healthier fatty acid composition. Meat that comes from pasture-fed animals is naturally lower in saturated fat and contributes less to heart disease risk.
You can also have a clean diet without meat. Beans, legumes, nuts and nut butters are big in the clean-eating realm. They provide crunch, texture, protein and a concentrated source of calories, says Welland.
You Don’t Have to Eat Organic
“Diets abundant in fruits and veggies – whether grown organically or conventionally – are healthier than diets without them,” say Kleiner. “What’s most important is eating veggies and fruit, and less important to buy organic.”
A significant body of research shows the link between fruit and vegetable consumption and lower incidences of cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer, and improved gastrointestinal and optical health. Additionally, in a review of 97 studies that compared the nutritional composition of organic versus conventional foods, researchers found that organic fruits, vegetables, and grains were 25 percent more nutrient-dense than conventional food. Organic produce and grains contain higher levels of 8 out of 10 nutrients studied, according to the report published by The Organic Center.
If you’ve purchased conventional fruits and vegetables, scrub them thoroughly, using a produce detergent to remove wax, or peel off the skin before eating, suggests Kleiner.
Caffeine Is a Personal Preference
Water, unsweetened tea, milk, and 100 percent fruit juice mixed with water or seltzer are standard beverages for clean eaters, but caffeine isn’t out of the question. Still, experts are on the fence about where it falls in a clean diet. Welland points out that many beverages that are high in caffeine, like soft drinks, also tend to be high in sugar. On the other hand, coffee and tea are natural products that are high in antioxidants. Welland’s general rule: If you’re sensitive to caffeine, limit your consumption or cut it out of your diet. If you don’t have a strong reaction, caffeine is fine in small amounts, she says.
Kleiner recommends drinking no more than two caffeinated drinks per day and avoiding those beverages after noontime.
“If you feel like you need caffeine later in the day, you probably should to take another look at the way you’re living your life,” she says. “Are you dehydrated? Do you need to be more active? Do you need more sleep? Do you have too much stress in your life?”
If you can’t get by without a boost, Kleiner suggests reaching for tea instead of coffee in the afternoon.
“Tea is much lower in caffeine, less acidic, and less harsh on the body, she says.
A Clean Diet Isn’t Always Convenient
If there’s one downside to clean eating it’s the extra time it takes to shop for and prepare your meals – but for many, it’s time well spent.
“You have to prioritize,” says Welland. “Ask yourself, ‘Do I want more time or a healthy meal, better health, and to feel good?’”
With a little planning and creativity, Welland says, cooking clean meals can become easier than playing around with combinations of prepared or microwave-ready foods. She likes to start with basic ingredients and think of ways to bring out the natural flavors in food – drizzling roasted sweet potatoes with a little maple syrup, or stirring cilantro and salsa into a side of black beans, for example. Welland dresses up veggies by experimenting with simple spice blends, tinkering with combinations of chili powder, cumin, coriander, basil and garlic.
Snacks and meals should be balanced with protein, fat, and carbohydrates and are generally not overly done in any one area. For example, instead of grabbing an apple for a snack, have an apple with peanut butter, or try red bell pepper slices with hummus, suggests Welland.
For more tips and tricks, visit Fitbie.com.
© 2011, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
There's nothing extreme about eating clean. You don't have to give up meat, invest in a fancy juicer, or banish the sugar bowl from the kitchen table. "I define clean eating as consuming whole, natural foods that have not been processed," says Diane Welland, RD, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Clean. "It's more of a lifestyle or an approach to food instead of a diet," she adds, explaining that regular physical activity and eating small, frequent meals that are balanced with protein, fat, and carbohydrates are typically part of the approach. A sense of social awareness is also essential to clean eating, says Susan Kleiner, PhD, RD, owner of High Performance Nutrition, a Seattle area consulting firm, and author of "The Good Mood Diet." Kleiner defines clean eating as eating foods closer to the ground - more like the way they are picked, and as you might find them at a local farmers' market. "Be mindful of how you're eating and how what you eat affects the world around you," she says. Here, these experts explain nine guidelines of clean eating and suggest strategies for making healthy foods your go-to choice. Lose Weight Naturally, But Don't Obsess There are countless benefits to eating more whole, natural foods: increased energy, improved immunity, lower risk of disease, and yes, loss of a few pounds. "Weight loss comes naturally when you cut out junk food and high-calorie processed foods," says Welland. "For this reason, you don't have to worry so much about cutting calories." If you're eating fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing foods high in fat or sugar (which are also high in calories), and having small meals throughout the day, you'll be more likely to lose weight. Focus on looking and feeling better instead of obsessing over the scale. Eating foods that are higher in fiber and richer in nutrients and healthy fats contribute to feeling fuller longer, says Kleiner. Plus, sugar and fats have a tendency to make you feel sluggish, so limiting them can make your body function better, which means you'll feel more energized and be more likely to exercise, she adds. Stick with Whole Grains (and Learn to Recognize Them) Eating more whole grains has been shown to help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers, and also helps you maintain a healthy weight. To get the most out of your grains, pick quinoa, bulgur, brown rice, or millet over refined grains, like white rice, white bread and grits, says Welland. When shopping for cereal, bread and pasta, don't just look for the words "whole grain" on a food's packaging. Read ingredient lists carefully, looking for the word "whole" in front of each type of flour. Another trick for picking out clean-diet offenders: "High fructose corn syrup is a flag," says Kleiner. "The fact that it's added means the food is highly processed." A processed food is one that has been taken apart and put back together in order to create properties that may not occur naturally, or those that have to be replaced, says Kleiner, explaining that chemicals - some not found in nature - are often used in the process. Grains are a good example. Like the name implies, whole grains contain an entire grain kernel (bran, germ and endosperm), while refined grains have been milled, a process that strips out bran and germ, along with fiber, iron and B vitamins. This process gives the grains a finer texture and a longer shelf life (think soft, fluffy white bread that lasts for weeks in the fridge). Refined grains are typically enriched, meaning iron and B vitamins, such as thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid and niacin, are removed and then added back after milling, but fiber is left out. Keep in mind that many foods have to be processed in some way in order to make them edible, so the idea is to pick the least processed variety, says Kleiner. Cereal oats are a good example. While we can't eat them unprocessed, we can select steel-cut oatmeal over oat flakes, or oat flakes over oat-based cereal with added coloring, flavoring and fun-shaped marshmallows. Steer Clear of Sneaky Food Additives When food additives and preservatives are considered, you probably think of a chemical compound spelled with no fewer than 16 characters - and one that you wouldn't dare try to pronounce. But other extras sound much more benign - sugar and salt, for example, which are often added to food in excess to boost flavor or extend shelf life. The key to finding the "cleanest" possible foods is asking yourself a few questions: Are the ingredients natural or artificial? Are all the ingredients really necessary? Can I buy this product minus the offending ingredient, and will that absence affect the integrity of the food? Take salt, for example. It's used as a preservative in cheese, and is essential to the cheese-making process, says Welland. Adding salt to canned vegetables, on the other hand, is unnecessary, as it isn't part of the production process and the veggies can be purchased either fresh or frozen without salt. Another example is yogurt. Yogurt is produced by culturing milk, but fruit-flavored yogurt also have other things added to it including sugar, says Welland. Consider how easily fresh fruit can be stirred into plain yogurt for a lower sugar (and calorie) option, she says. And what about the chemical-sounding additives? Only a few are natural and safe to consume regularly, says Kleiner. Citric acid (vitamin C, a natural antioxidant), vitamin E (an antioxidant that appears as tocopherols on food labels), and carotene (used to boost color) are commonly used as preservatives. "Most everything else is chemistry," she says. Natural Sugar is Still Sugar With excess sugar consumption linked to cancer, diabetes and heart disease, numerous white sugar alternatives have made their way onto grocery store shelves. Maple sugar, agave nectar and evaporated cane sugars, like secant, have stronger flavors than white sugar, which means you can get the same sweetness with fewer calories. Less-refined varieties of sugar come with a higher price tag, which Kleiner sees as something positive. "When sugar is more expensive, you don't treat it as nonchalantly. You think twice about using it and stop taking it for granted." Still, sugar is sugar, no matter what its form, and moderation is key. A bonus that comes with cutting back on added sugar: "When you start taking out a lot of sugar and salt, you are retraining your taste buds and you tend to appreciate the natural sweet tastes of foods like beets and peas, or maybe the earthiness of a mushroom," Kleiner says. There Are No Safe Levels of Trans Fat When it comes to fat, the hydrogenated oils typically found in empty calorie foods like doughnuts, candy, and cookies are the biggest offenders in a clean diet. Highly engineered fats, like the trans fat in man-made oils, are worse at promoting heart disease than natural fats, like lard, says Kleiner. According to Kleiner, a food label reading zero grams of trans fat - which is allowed for any item that contains less than half a gram per serving - can be misleading. Kleiner's general rule: "If it has hydrogenated oil in it, don't buy it. It's also a sign that it's a highly processed food. Go for something less processed." Vegetarianism Is Optional "Clean eating doesn't mean vegetarian. It means choosing meat from grass- or vegetarian-fed (grass and grain-fed) animals," says Kleiner. Animal feed can be filled with antibiotics, hormones, fertilizers and chemicals. Instead, turn to pasture-fed or free-range animals, which have more nutritiously rich meat and a healthier fatty acid composition. Meat that comes from pasture-fed animals is naturally lower in saturated fat and contributes less to heart disease risk. You can also have a clean diet without meat. Beans, legumes, nuts and nut butters are big in the clean-eating realm. They provide crunch, texture, protein and a concentrated source of calories, says Welland. You Don't Have to Eat Organic "Diets abundant in fruits and veggies - whether grown organically or conventionally - are healthier than diets without them," say Kleiner. "What's most important is eating veggies and fruit, and less important to buy organic." A significant body of research shows the link between fruit and vegetable consumption and lower incidences of cardiovascular disease, stroke and cancer, and improved gastrointestinal and optical health. Additionally, in a review of 97 studies that compared the nutritional composition of organic versus conventional foods, researchers found that organic fruits, vegetables, and grains were 25 percent more nutrient-dense than conventional food. Organic produce and grains contain higher levels of 8 out of 10 nutrients studied, according to the report published by The Organic Center. If you've purchased conventional fruits and vegetables, scrub them thoroughly, using a produce detergent to remove wax, or peel off the skin before eating, suggests Kleiner. Caffeine Is a Personal Preference Water, unsweetened tea, milk, and 100 percent fruit juice mixed with water or seltzer are standard beverages for clean eaters, but caffeine isn't out of the question. Still, experts are on the fence about where it falls in a clean diet. Welland points out that many beverages that are high in caffeine, like soft drinks, also tend to be high in sugar. On the other hand, coffee and tea are natural products that are high in antioxidants. Welland's general rule: If you're sensitive to caffeine, limit your consumption or cut it out of your diet. If you don't have a strong reaction, caffeine is fine in small amounts, she says. Kleiner recommends drinking no more than two caffeinated drinks per day and avoiding those beverages after noontime. "If you feel like you need caffeine later in the day, you probably should to take another look at the way you're living your life," she says. "Are you dehydrated? Do you need to be more active? Do you need more sleep? Do you have too much stress in your life?" If you can't get by without a boost, Kleiner suggests reaching for tea instead of coffee in the afternoon. "Tea is much lower in caffeine, less acidic, and less harsh on the body, she says. A Clean Diet Isn't Always Convenient If there's one downside to clean eating it's the extra time it takes to shop for and prepare your meals - but for many, it's time well spent. "You have to prioritize," says Welland. "Ask yourself, 'Do I want more time or a healthy meal, better health, and to feel good?'" With a little planning and creativity, Welland says, cooking clean meals can become easier than playing around with combinations of prepared or microwave-ready foods. She likes to start with basic ingredients and think of ways to bring out the natural flavors in food - drizzling roasted sweet potatoes with a little maple syrup, or stirring cilantro and salsa into a side of black beans, for example. Welland dresses up veggies by experimenting with simple spice blends, tinkering with combinations of chili powder, cumin, coriander, basil and garlic. Snacks and meals should be balanced with protein, fat, and carbohydrates and are generally not overly done in any one area. For example, instead of grabbing an apple for a snack, have an apple with peanut butter, or try red bell pepper slices with hummus, suggests Welland. For more tips and tricks, visit Fitbie.com. © 2011, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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