“Clean Eating” is used to describe many different lifestyles
“Clean Eating” is thrown around as a common household name but what exactly does it mean….
There are several lifestyles that describe themselves as clean eaters but I have seen it referred to and mean different things.
The general meaning is used to describe eating real whole foods in their most natural state and omitting processed and refined foods and synthetic sugars.
When vegans use the term they are including no animal products of any kind to describe their clean eating lifestyle.
You will also hear Paleo followers use the term but their clean eating includes clean meat as protein and no grains or dairy.
Vegetarians are clean eaters too, with many adopting and changing different things in their diets.
Mainly vegetarians do not eat meat, some no animal products at all but some eat fish, eggs or dairy and most eat grains with processed and refined ingredients are still part of their lifestyle.
To some clean eating means anything that they want to eat because they believe that everything in a grocery store is clean and healthy for us.
Clean Eating should include Organic certified foods…
As a Health Coach I have an additional element that should be included when describing a clean eating lifestyle.
Most articles and information that is found online or printed magazines etc… do not mention certified organic fruits and vegetables.
Although eating whole foods like fruits, vegetables, meat, grains, nuts and legumes and omitting every processed, refined, synthetic ingredient and sugar is great for ones wellbeing and health, there is more.
Quality of the food is most important
I teach my clients, family and friends that the “Quality” of everything that you are putting in your mouth is the most important thing one can do for their health.
What do I mean by Quality?
Quality refers to the nutrient and nutrition level of each piece of fruit and vegetable or meat, grains etc…
Our food supply is not all equal
You can omit all the bad culprits out of your diet to achieve clean eating and you will start loosing weight and your health will start benefiting form it.
The issue is that a lot of our food supply in this country is of poor nutritional value.
Therefore you can not achieve optimal health with out feeding your body the healthiest cleanest sources of nutrients, minerals, phytonutrients, etc.
Clean Eating should have an emphasis on “Organic food”
No matter the lifestyle you choose or what you choose to add or omit from your diet my opinion is that it should be of the best nutritional quality.
The most recent Science has proven and determined that we should be eating quality fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains and nuts with limited clean pieces of high quality meat, if you choose to eat meat at all.
Therefore just eating these things in my opinion is not enough if they are not “Certified Organic.”
Why is Certified Organic Important in Quality Clean Eating?
Organic food, is food that is NOT harvested with conventional pesticides and chemicals, including GMO seeds of any kind.
Certified Organic is the certification that crops are harvested on soils that have passed and tested free of conventional and harmful chemicals, metals and pollutants, before receiving such certification.
To obtain this certification soils and crops are tested to assure that no prohibited substances were used on them for a minimum of 3 years.
After receiving such USDA certification a farm or business must maintain such certification by allowing the United States Department of Agriculture to inspect yearly and test soils for non organic and hazardous substances as well the verification that GMO’s are not being used on such soils and lands.
Why are Organic Soils important to Clean Eating and our Food Supply?
Organic soils and crops are crucial to our health and wellbeing and in my opinion to the future of mankind.
Most believe that it’s the plant or crop that supply the nutrients and minerals needed for quality nutrition. Although the plants and fruits we eat contain the vital nutrition our bodies need, it all starts with natural organic soil.
It is rich healthy soil that provides the minerals and nutrients that we need to survive.
Conventional farming and the use of Roundup and other such conventional pesticides are depleting our soils of vital nutrients and oxygen it needs to be able to grow and sustain healthy nutrient levels in our crops and American food supply.
Therefore consuming certified organic crops and food has become essential and should be added to any Clean Eating lifestyle that you choose.
Organic food is essential for any type of Clean Eating diet or Lifestyle
Clean Eating of whole foods is definitely essential to maintain the human body at optimal health, prevent and reverse disease and be able to live a life without needing pharmaceuticals to live the best quality of life as we age. As I have stated above, quality Organic farming, crops and harvesting should be included to the movement of Clean Eating!
In our country and in may parts of the world where conventional farming is being allowed, soils continue to be depleted to a point that crops no longer are able to grow on them because pesticides and chemicals are being overused.
The same will happen to our bodies, as we consume pesticide and chemical filled foods, our bodies will continue to slow down and are already diseasing faster then they were decades ago because they are not getting the quality nutrition to function at optimal health.
Organic Clean Eating Lifestyles
I hope I encouraged you to consider the quality of nutrition you are feeding your body on a daily basis because everything you eat does matter and becomes you. If all we eat is chemical filled foods thats what our bodies are running on and become highly inflamed and toxic.
With bodies in this state there is no wonder why chronic illness, fatigue, heart disease, diabetes, ADHD, Autism, sleeping problems, etc are on a all time rise.
Therefore pick the clean eating lifestyle that best suits you, wether it be eating meat, not eating meat, no grains or dairy or grains and vegetables, what ever you and your body feels the best eating.
Once you decide what best works for you, take a step further and add as much certified and or local organic as possible to your daily diet.
If you are going to eat meat, look for organic grass fed cattle and other organic raised meat sources, as well as buying organic free range eggs whenever possible.
With fish and seafood you want to make sure that it is wild caught and stay away from farmed raised fish and seafood as much as possible.
In a last note Organic Certified also guarantees that the food is Non-GMO but if an organic option is not available than a certified non-GMO is a must.
Happy Clean Eating and healthier lifestyles to everyone!
