One of the most simple, practical, healthful tips on good food choice might just be the movement called “clean eating,” When my daughter and son-in-law were learning a new relationship with their diets following his discovery of atrial fibrillation (afib), they were adopting clean eating habits without even knowing what it was. They went in search of a snack food with three ingredients or less, and discovered the Lärabar.
According to a recent article by Cynthia Sass, clean eating is “pretty straightforward—instead of a banana nut muffin, eat a banana and some nuts! The primary principle of eating clean is to replace processed foods with fresh and natural foods. To me, this means foods that haven’t had anything added to them, and haven’t had anything valuable taken away.”
When I looked through my cupboards, it is easy to spot clean foods. A bag of dry pinto beans lists the ingredient/s as: pinto beans.
A can of no-salt added tomato sauce was pretty close.
A jar of spaghetti sauce, or a box of breakfast cereal, was not anywhere near “clean.”
Clean eating means you are learning to read food labels. While still a snack food, the Cashew Cookie Lärabar contains cashews and dates: period. Now cashews are not known for being low in either calories or fat, but you know your body recognizes both these ingredients as food. These are ingredients—not chemical additives, not added colors. If even a snack food can meet the criteria of clean eating, imagine how delicious well-being can be.
Think big picture
In addition to reading ingredient lists, so you can ditch products made with artificial additives including flavors, sweeteners, colors, and preservatives, clean eating is about steering clear of foods made from genetically modified organisms, and those treated with hormones and antibiotics, and going organic when possible, to reduce foods grown with man-made pesticides and fertilizers.
In my opinion, clean eating considers how these issues affect you, as well as how they influence the planet, and their bearing on a sustainable food supply. In other words, in addition to choosing not to pollute your body with substances that serve no biological purpose, clean eating is also about connecting the dots regarding how food production impacts issues like the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, algae blooms and “dead zones” in our oceans, and the effects of substances like BPA on our metabolisms.
This is why clean eating is a movement, not a trend.
(You can see Cynthia’s entire article on Clean Eating at: http://cnn.it/1cgllfT.)
This week, make clean eating a conscious choice you are making to enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Just as with any other lifestyle change, you will get better as you go along.
This week’s health tip originally appeared online at https://scs-matters.com/clean-eating/.
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Tips from 5 April 2010 to 6 August 2012 are here: Archived Tips
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Rev.Debra Basham
Voice: (269) 921-2217 Email: debra@scs-matters.com https://scs-matters.com http://ImagineHealing.info http://SurgicalSupport.info Small Changes … Infinite Results™
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” ~Mother Teresa |