Wherever you look, different diets and eating fads are sweeping the internet. Keto, Atkins, South Beach, the list goes on. Rather than try and follow a really restrictive and complicated diet, many with dubious health claims, many people choose the ‘eat clean’.

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Eating clean involves eating fresh, unprocessed food and reducing refined and packaged products. Many people find it an easier lifestyle change than following fad diets. Here are a few ways you can introduce elements of clean eating into your life. 

Don’t drink your calories

Water is your best friend when it comes to your health and wellbeing. Upping your water intake can benefit your mind and body in so many ways. Also, the more water you’re drinking, the fewer calories you’re consuming in sugar-filled drinks and sodas. Buy a water bottle to take with you and get a water filter fitted at home. Do some research to find the best filters on the market to give you clean, freshwater. 

Up your fruit and veg intake

Filling your meals with veg is a great way to up your vitamin, mineral, and fiber intake. The fruit is also great for those with a sweet tooth who may be missing sugary snacks. 

Swap your white carbs for brown ones

If you eat a lot of rice, pasta, and bread, then then you’re putting a lot of refined carbs into your body. Swap these food choices for the wholemeal and brown varieties. You’ll be upping the fiber content of your meals while saving some calories too. 

Avoid condiments and spreads

Cooking a beautiful, fresh meal, just to drown it in processed sauces is a shame. Find other ways to flavor your foods. For example, rather than putting ketchup on your meal, why not whip up some homemade tomato salsa. Instead of spreading butter on your bread, take a leaf out of the Spanish way of doing things and rub tomato and a garlic clove across your bread. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll never go back. 

If it’s in a jar or packet, don’t buy it

Clean eating is all about going back to basics and eating foods that are natural and unprocessed. Most foods you find in a jar or packet will be processed in some way and often have preservatives in there too. 

Plan ahead

Most healthy diets fail because of poor planning. It’s easy to get swept up in everyday stresses and forget to buy groceries or make good food choices. A little bit of planning really helps you’re the type of person that is easily derailed. Learn how to meal plan for the week and have enough fresh produce and snacks on hand to let you create healthy and nutritious meals. 

Conclusion

Whether you’re going all-in on clean eating, or just want to improve some of your food choices, then this is one of the easier eating plans to stick to. Once you know the basics, it’s about educating yourself on food labels and planning to give yourself the best chance of success.