Clean Eating: Myths and Truths

What is clean eating?

Foods that are directly extracted in the natural state directly from beneath the earth which are full of nutrients and provide health benefits to our body are referred to as clean eating. Clean eating involves whole-food eating which is not being over-processed. It does not contain convenience and processed foods like wafers, chips, and other junky packaged products which contain added sugar, salt, fat, carbohydrates, chemicals, preservatives, food colors, etc. which are harmful to the health.

Clean eating nourishes your body with nutrient-rich foods which contain vitamins, minerals, ions, fibers, healthy fat, natural sugars, protein quantity, etc. that contain so many benefits but it contains disadvantages too. Clean eating is different from healthy food because clean eating involves no sugar or salt, whole fruits, and vegetables but healthy eating involves juices, broken grains, etc. 

Clean eating food list:

1. Fruits: Whole fruits such as oranges, bananas, papaya, kiwi, watermelon, sugarcane, apples, plum, peach, grapes, sweet lemon, mango, berries variety, etc. All fruits are rich in vitamins such as A, E, C, K, etc., minerals, ions, healthy fats, essential acids, and fibers too which is good for health. We can make juice from fruits but extraction of juice does not contain fibers, so try to eat whole fruits.  
2. Vegetables: Eat raw vegetables, steamed or lightly cooked vegetables without adding spices, fatty oil, sugar, or salt. Vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, carrot, radish, mushrooms, lettuce, cauliflower, onion, tomatoes, potato, sweet potato, corn, green beans, etc.   
3. Whole grains: Rajma Beans, black and white chickpeas, pulses like moong, moth, etc. can be eaten boiled or overnight soaked which are a great source of protein. Whole wheat noodles, pasta, whole wheat bread, etc.
4. Dairy products: Such as milk, yogurt, buttermilk, paneer, etc. which are non-flavored or do not contain any sugar content.  
5. Protein: Beans, eggs, unflavored or without salt and sugar butter, chicken breast, it is best to eat boiled non-veg, etc.
6. We can have desserts but sugar-free which will be counted in the clean eating food list. If we eat deserts from the outside it is full of oil, butter, and sugar, so instead of that we can make sugar-free deserts at home and can find the alternative of sugar like figs, honey, jaggery, etc. which do not produce fat in the body.  
7. We can have soft drinks without sugar and salt like lemon water, tea, green tea, coffee, etc.

Clean eating benefits:

Clean eating has various benefits that have been shown in the body of organisms as given below:

1.   Clean eating increases the immunity power of the body.
2.   It keeps you healthy, makes you feel light and refreshing.
3.   It keeps you away from inflammation, allergies, acne, eye pain, kidney disorders, cardiovascular diseases, bone weakness, body pain, malnutrition, etc.
4.   Keeps your mind in alert mode, your brain functions well, keeps you away from Alzheimer’s disease, etc.
5.   Helps in gaining muscles, and lowers the risk of diabetes, cancer, tumor, etc.
6.   Makes your digestive system or metabolism well.
7.   Keeps your body rich in nutrition. Clean eating involves a balanced diet of fat, vitamins, carbs, minerals, ions, proteins, essential acids, etc.
8.   Clean eating is the best way to lose weight, it helps to attain your body in shape or in perfect weight.
9.   Clean eating involves the consumption of natural sugars instead of packaged ones. It motivates you to eat organic food.
10. We do not need to cook clean eating food much. We can just toss or sauté the vegetables in the pan with plant-based oil like olive oil, rice- bran, etc. and then we can eat them. Clean eating helps in weight loss or to get in shape. It saves you time and money.   

The danger of clean eating:    

Too many restrictions on food consumption can result in less nutrition. Fewer nutrition leads to various diseases like malnutrition, mental distress, physically weakened, etc. We can also cheat on the diet once a week to change our mood or to eat something new.

Cheat on a clean diet sometimes is important because sometimes we have to go out for work, a job, or on a trip, where we cannot follow our diet routine and if we are addicted to clean eating and we eat something oily or spicy, it leads to stomachache, diarrhea, etc.