Need to know some tips for eating clean? Keep reading! Eating clean is definitely a great change, but it is worth it. Clean eating means eating foods that have no additives, preservatives, or chemicals in the ingredient list. A lot of people don’t realize that sugar is not good for their health, yet sugar is the number one ingredient on most given packaged food items in the stores! Here are some important tips for eating clean!
1. Pay attention to what you are buying
Just because something says “sugar-free” or “diet” on it doesn’t mean it is good for you. Sugar-free and diet items usually have artificial sweeteners in them that are even worse for you than regular sugar. Try buying the regular product or just scratch it from your grocery list!
2. Learn how to buy organic foods
Organic foods are definitely good for you, but they can get really expensive. However, there are some organic items which are not grown differently than “processed” items. So try to learn the “dirty dozen” and the “clean 15” to see what foods you should buy organic.
3. Pay attention to packaging
Most manufacturers know how to capture customers’ attention. Even if a package has the words “100 % whole grain” or “natural ingredients”, it doesn’t mean that it is healthy. Always read the labels on the food you buy!
4. Don’t use price as an excuse
Don’t let price be an excuse to continue feeding your family junk food. Fresh food is not as expensive as you think! Once you stop buying unhealthy food, you will have much more money to spend on fresh food. Just try it, and you will find that you saved a lot on your grocery bills!
5. Buy local produce
Locally grown food is less expensive, fresher, and typically treated with fewer pesticides because it isn’t being shipped anywhere. If you are really serious about garden-fresh organic produce, then try to plant your own. Just start small. Beets, radishes and carrots are easy to grow.
6. Avoid the inner aisles of the store
Fresh foods are usually placed on the outer store aisles. To keep yourself from buying junk foods, try to avoid the inner aisles, and buy foods which are in the outer edges of the store! Veggies, fruits, fresh meats, bread, and dairy are usually placed along the outer edges of the store.
7. Cook at home
If you want to eat clean you should cook at home as often as possible. And I’m not talking about those frozen pizzas. There are some fast meals that you can cook while eating clean. Crockpot soups, chef salads, seasoned chicken with quinoa and beans, or wheat pasta with veggies are a few fast, easy, and tasty meals you can prepare in less than 20 minutes!
8. Start out slowly
It’s important to know that clean eating will not happen overnight. It will take some time and patience to adjust and learn how to change your cravings. Yes, it’s not easy, but start out slowly. For instance, swap out soda for juice and switch out white rice for brown rice.
9. Follow the 5-ingredient rule
If you are not sure how healthy the item is, read the ingredients. The 5 ingredient rule is a great rule to stick to. If you cannot pronounce ingredient, that’s a strong indication that the food you are going to buy is full of non-organic ingredients and preservatives. Remember, the fewer ingredients a food has, the healthier it is.
It might take some patience and time, but stay dedicated and it’ll definitely pay off in the end. Do you have any tips for eating clean? Share them, please!