What Is a Clean Eating Plan?

A clean eating plan means that you look at the options available for you to eat and you choose the one that’s the most natural. All of the foods that you buy in cans, bags and in the frozen section of your grocery store started out in their natural state.

The reason that a lot of shoppers buy these processed foods is for the sake of convenience. But when you weigh this convenience against being healthier, then it really is no contest.

It might take you a little bit more time to prepare foods that are in their natural state, but it’s better for you physically and even emotionally in the long run. It’s better emotionally because there’s a link between processed foods and depression just like there’s a link between sugar laden foods and addictive behaviour.

Choosing foods in their natural state for your eating plan means picking the apple over the apple sauce. But if you have a choice between an apple turnover or apple sauce, then you would take the apple sauce because it’s the least processed.

If you had the choice between an orange, orange juice or orange soda, then you would choose the orange. If that option wasn't available, then you go with the next natural choice.

If you need to eat fruit and the only option was in a can, then you would choose the fruit that was packed in water or in light syrup over heavy syrup. When it comes to buying lunch meat, if you have to have that, then you would choose meat from the meat counter first.

If that wasn't an option, then it’s healthier to pick up deli lunch meat rather than buying the processed kind that’s already packaged. When buying meats, look for ones that are grass fed over grain fed.

Make bagged, frozen meats your last choice. In the dairy department, buy low fat milk and yoghurt that doesn't have any flavourings. The flavourings are additives that aren't healthy.

If you need bread, always go with a whole grain first. Make white bread your last option because it’s packed with additives and is the least healthy. Choose natural peanut butter over any other kind for your clean eating plan.

Think of your clean eating plan as direct from nature to your plate. If you can pick whole foods such as fruits or vegetables, wash them and eat them, that’s the best choice.

If you need it cooked, then you would steam it or stir fry it over frying it or deep frying it. But if you had to something other than steaming it, to avoid the worst option of frying it, you would bake the food.