Will eating clean help you lose weight? 100% yes is my answer! Eating clean is a staple in my lifestyle and I’d like to share why it’s so essential.
When you hear the word eat clean what do you think about? What does eating clean mean to you? Is it possible to eat clean and lose weight? So many people are dying to know if what they are hearing from the media is true, or is this just smoke and mirrors? I am here today to share with you these answers and more.
Will Eating Clean Help You Lose Weight
Clean eating focuses on consuming whole foods that are minimally processed and as close to their natural form as possible.
Adopting a clean eating plan can be a simple and effective way to lose weight and boost your overall health.
Additionally, eating clean means relying less on processed, store-bought items and preparing more meals at home, which could save you money.
Here are 10clean eating tips that can help you be healthier and more energized.
1. Cut out Added Sugar
Eating too much added sugar has been linked to a wide array of health issues ranging from obesity to heart disease (1Trusted Source).
When transitioning over to a cleaner eating pattern, foods and beverages with added sugar should automatically be phased out.
When cleaning up your diet, using healthy substitutes for your favorite sweet treats can satisfy cravings and keep you on track.
For example, swap your nightly bowl of ice cream for a clean treat like Greek yogurt topped with berries, unsweetened coconut and cinnamon.
2. Bring out Your Inner Chef
Many people depend on fast food and other quick, unhealthy foods to get them through busy days.
However, making a habit of buying meals and snacks on the run can lead to unhealthy choices and behaviors.
Although it’s not practical for everyone to cook all meals at home, preparing fresh, healthy food for yourself should be a priority whenever possible.
When eating clean, knowing what’s in your food is important and cooking for yourself is the easiest way to control what goes in and what stays out of your body.
3. Shop the Perimeter
Shopping the perimeter of the grocery store is one of the most popular pieces of nutrition advice.
This is because the perimeter of the grocery store usually contains fresh produce and healthy protein sources like eggs, yogurt and poultry.
Although the interior aisles of the grocery store do contain healthy items like canned beans and nuts, they also tend to be where most of the unhealthy items like chips, candy and soda are located.
Making it a priority to fill your cart with foods from the perimeter, including vegetables, fruits and proteins, before moving on to the interior of the store can help you stay on track and avoid tempting treats.
4. Support Your Local Farmers
Clean eating revolves around knowing your food and where it comes from.
There is no better way to honor this principle than to form a relationship with local farmers who grow or raise the food that you eat.
Purchasing food directly from small farms means that you can be informed about the methods used to grow produce and raise animals for meat, poultry, eggs and dairy.
Supporting local farms means building a connection with your food while supporting your local economy.
Plus, buying food directly from local farms means that you are guaranteed to enjoy the freshest in-season food available.
5. Stop Eating “Diet” Foods
When trying to lose weight, many people reach for “diet” foods like low-fat dressings, diet soda, meal replacement bars and weight-loss drinks.
These foods can be loaded with artificial sweeteners, preservatives and added sugar.
For example, low-fat yogurts can contain as much as 23 grams (6 teaspoons) of sugar in a half-cup serving (2).
When following a clean eating program, choose whole, non-diet foods like unsweetened, full-fat yogurt and natural peanut butter with no added sugar.
6. Go for the Green
Leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale and arugula are easy and nutritious ingredients that can be added to almost any meal.
Adding a mixed green salad to your meal, incorporating sautéed spinach into an omelet or tossing fresh kale into your favorite smoothie are easy ways to eat more healthy produce.
Greens — especially dark, leafy greens like kale — are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that help your body thrive.
Try experimenting with different types of greens to narrow down your favorites.
7. Ditch Refined Carbs
Filling up on white rice, bread and pasta won’t do you any favors when it comes to health.
This is because these foods lack the vitamins, minerals, fat, protein and fiber that your body needs to function.
Plus, a high intake of refined carbohydrates has been associated with an increased risk of developing health issues like obesity and diabetes
Swap refined grains for whole, fiber-rich grains like oats, barley, brown rice and farro for cleaner, more nutrient-dense carbohydrate options.
8. Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods
Foods that are considered “nutrient-dense” contain an impressive amount of nutrients but are relatively low in calories. They’re perfect for those looking to shed pounds.
Nutrient-dense foods include broccoli, berries, eggs, red bell peppers, seeds, wild-caught salmon and sweet potatoes.
On the other hand, foods that are considered nutrient-poor, like candy and fast food, are packed with calories yet contain few nutrients.
Choosing meals and snacks that are loaded with nutrient-dense ingredients is a smart and delicious way to get healthier.
9. Keep It Clean When Eating Out
As long as you know what to look for, eating clean can be a breeze no matter where you are.
Choose meals that focus on fresh produce, complex carbs, healthy fats and lean proteins.
Although it’s perfectly healthy to indulge in a treat once in a while, make it a point to limit heavy dishes like creamy pastas and fried foods as much as possible.
Additionally, swap the breadbasket for a healthy salad before your meal to increase your vegetable intake while filling up on fiber.
10. Meal Prep for Success
Prepping bulk meals for the week ahead ensures that you will have fresh, healthy options every day. It also keeps you from making poor food choices out of desperation.
For example, knowing that you have a delicious meal already prepared and waiting for you in your refrigerator can deter you from stopping at a fast food restaurant for a quick bite.
Try investing in a dry erase board for your kitchen where you can jot down recipe ideas, grocery lists and plan meals for the week ahead.
Can Clean Eating Help Me Lose Weight?
While weight loss isn’t every clean eater’s goal, for some it’s paramount. Whether you’re looking to achieve your best possible health or lose weight as part of your journey to improved health, a clean diet can be customized to suit all your wellness goals. Here, Clean Eating dietitians Erin Macdonald and Tiffani Bachus discuss clean eating recipes for weight loss.
What is your reason for following a clean-eating style of living? Is it because you want to lower your blood pressure or reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer? Are you looking for more energy, glowing skin and healthier hair? How about wanting to lose or maintain weight? A plant-based diet, which is at the heart of clean eating, can help you achieve all of this.
A diet that’s high in fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds and balanced with lean protein and healthy fat has been shown to be the most successful at reducing risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other chronic conditions because this style of eating is truly anti-inflammatory. All of those colorful plants are chock-full of inflammation-lowering antioxidants and phytochemicals. As we love to tell our clients, eat the colors of the rainbow every day!
When it comes to weight loss and successful maintenance of weight, clean eating is the way to go. Replacing unhealthy, highly processed items with real, whole, minimally processed foods will shift your hormones from fat-storage mode into fat-burning mode, which will increase your metabolism.
The Standard American Diet (appropriately SAD when abbreviated), which is high in processed, refined carbohydrates and sugar, forces your body to produce a lot of insulin to handle the high levels of glucose entering the bloodstream from the carbohydrate-rich foods. Insulin is a hormone whose job is to shuttle glucose into your cells, where it gets turned into energy. But too much insulin causes your body to package much of that glucose into fat cells, leading to weight gain.
Learning to choose healthier sources of carbohydrates and balancing them out with the right amount of protein and healthy fats will keep insulin levels in check, making it easier to successfully lose weight and keep it off long-term.
If following a clean eating program does not result in desired weight loss or even causes weight gain, then it’s time to look a little closer at what you’re eating. Often, people think eating clean is a license to eat as much as they want as long as the food is “clean.”
But too much of anything can sabotage your weight-loss goals. Similarly, too much sugar, even if it’s natural (like fruit) or from clean sweeteners (such as raw honey and pure maple syrup) as well as from desserts that have been revamped with clean ingredients, can be problematic. Too much of these types of sugars can impact insulin production and affect total calorie expenditure.
A 2012 study published in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association, compared dieters who followed a low-fat diet with those who followed a low-carbohydrate (low-sugar) diet and those who followed a low-glycemic diet. Researchers found that those following the low-carbohydrate and low-glycemic diets burned significantly more calories (326 more calories and 126 more calories respectively) than those on the low-fat diet. These results show that fruit isn’t necessarily bad or that dessert is off the table. It just means that these foods need to be more carefully thought out and that portion sizes make a difference.
Clean eating is not just another diet fad or a one-size-fits-all meal plan. It’s a philosophy that works for everyone because it can be customized to suit your needs and goals. If losing weight and improving health and vitality are important to you, then clean eating is the answer.